X

X
Slim's, San Francisco
April 24, 2004

The last time I saw X was in 1987 at a neon dance club in downtown San Jose. Jayne was with me but she doesn't remember it (Hi Jayne!).

I rolled out of the house at 9:45pm. Met up with the posse from the Inner Sunset and was inside Slim's by 10:15pm. Exene & Co. were onstage at 10:30pm. I was unlocking the door to my house at 12:20am. A surgically precise "F*ck you, I'm 40" concert experience.

Watching the former Mrs. Aragorn sing while she cradled a bottle of beer in the crook of her arm was comforting. It was like she was Mary and the beer was Baby Jesus. She's a daughter of kings, a Shieldmaiden of Rohan.. The show was all killer no filler. All the hits. It's eerie that I know all of their songs and most of their lyrics since I've never been X obsessed. They've always just "been there" in my record collection. It was comforting. "The world's a mess, it's in my kiss..."

On the way back to the car some pimply-faced teenagers called me a fag. Beer count = O (But I did have 2 at the A's game earlier in the day.. so that should count for some credit). Billy Zoom is a grinning marionette come to life sent to play that goddam Gretsch Silver Jet. Amen.